[Peace-discuss] Fwd: News - Anti war Demo, & UK Soldier moves

[Al Kagan]

FYI.  They are claiming that up to 400,000 people marched in London!!!


>Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 00:45:41 +0100
>From: Martyn Lowe
>  <martynlowe at usa.net>
>To: "Mark Rosenzweig"
>  <iskra at earthlink.net>, " "
>  <akagan at uiuc.edu>,
>    " "
>  <Caroline at forbury.demon.co.uk>, " "
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>  <nva at gn.apc.org>,
>    "Rory "
>  <rlitwin at earthlink.net>, " "
>  <worldpeace at gn.apc.org>
>Subject: News - Anti war Demo, & UK Soldier moves
>CC: "Laura Held"
>  <lauraheld at t-online.de>,
>    "Bill Hetherington"
>  <archives at ppu.org.uk>,
>    "Martin Rasmussen"
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>    gillian at grharris67.freeserve.co.uk, gpower at sas.ac.uk,
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>    rikowski at tiscali.co.uk, shiraz.durrani at blueyonder..co.uk
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>Dear All !
>
>Here is an immediate news story about this weekends London
>demonstration as a part of the campaign against a war in
>Iraq, & how the UK government is getting ready for this war.
>
>See:
>
>http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
>
>
>There is a demonstration on 28 September is being organised
>jointly by the Stop the War Coalition , etc.
>
>Assemble 12.30pm Embankment to march to Hyde Park at
>1pm
>
>( FYI  - Activists from ISC - Information for Social Change
>will be taking part in this demonstration )
>
>
>But What's this ?
>
>Pacifist Martyn about to give information about a military
>website for you to look at - Surely not ?
>
>But to quote the Easter Bunny:
>
>' Read on               -                This is funny ! '
>
>
>
>
>http://www.londonsoldier.com/
>
>is a UK government military recruitment website, which has
>the following text upon it:
>
>' OPERATION:LONDON SOLDIER
>DATE:	Friday 27th September & Sunday 29th September
>
>VENUE: Horse Guards, London
>OBJECTIVE:	Be part of London's most explosive Forces
>adventure to date!
>Meet some of the men and women from the Regular Army and
>London's Reserve Forces, see the kit, the weapons and
>exciting demonstrations. Learn first hand about the range
>careers or paid spare-time opportunities available to
>you. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Entry
>is free, so come along anytime between 10am and 5pm.'
>..............
>
>Fuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyyy  thing -
>
>The demonstration will be going along Whitehall
>- Not 500 yards from Horse Guards parade.
>
>
>The posters upon the London Tube ( Underground ) still has
>posters advertising the London Soldier event upon it.
>
>The posters still give the original 28th & 29th dates of the
>event upon it.
>
>The days of this event were changed about a week back,
>so that -
>
>Surprise ! Surprise !
>
>- It would not held as the demo passed by it !
>
>
>Could it been that they were frightened by the near
>presence of all those pacifists ?
>
>Could it be that the metropolitan police were worried about
>a possible public order problem ?
>
>Or was it that some clever clog government adviser
>realised that there might be some bad press in the making ?
>
>It might just be my imagination, & I could well be wrong, but
>this change of dates for the LondonSodier event seems to
>of been done very close to the event.
>
>Funny thing, but people around the peace movement have
>been aware of the LondonSoldier event for a Longer time
>than that.
>
>Call me someone who has some funny old fashioned ideas, & I
>have a long memory, but something from ancient history
>comes to my mind.
>
>
>
>There is a story from the 1960s.
>
>At that time of the cold war the UK government has a lot of
>secret underground bunkers which were known as RSGs
>( Regional Seats of Government ).
>
>During the 1960s information upon the RSGs started
>leaking out.
>
>At one stage a group of peace movement activists started
>talking over the phone about a forthcoming demo at an RSG.
>
>Of course - no such demo was to take place.
>
>On the day a few of them drove around the town, & came
>upon a busload of police waiting for the demonstration to
>happen.
>
>They had found the location of the RSG.
>
>
>It might just be my old fashioned paranoia, but for some
>obscure reason the expression: 'phone tap' keeps popping
>into my mind.
>
>Could it be that due to a phone tap that the powers that be
>realised that they might of had a few PR problems on
>September 28th ?
>
>I just give you my observations.
>
>
>
>Anywise - You might like to share this information with
>others, & please do add it to your website.
>
>Once upon a website - then those who do a google search
>should look this up with such words as :
>
>
>STOP THE WAR,
>
>phone tapping,
>
>&
>paranoia.
>
>Try:
>
>PeaceParonia
>
>Too.
>
>
>Meanwhile -
>
>the UK Fireman's unions are threatening to go on strike.
>
>On previous strike the army have been called in to use their
>'Green goddess' fire engines upon the streets.
>
>UK news over the last couple of days included a story about
>how front line troops are not going to man these fire
>engines, but home based soldiers are now learning how to
>use them.
>
>See:
>
>http://www.fbu.org.uk/
>
>
>&
>
>In particular:
>
>http://www.fbu.org.uk/news/n260902god.html
>
>from which this quote:
>'Government shows contempt for public safety
>The Ministry of Defence this morning announced that 3,000 troops that have
>been
>trained to crew Green Goddesses in the event of a National Fire Service strike
>next
>month, have been redeployed. The FBU is led to believe that this is to prepare
>for
>attacking Iraq.
>This leaves the Army with only 9,000 soldiers to replace the 52,000
>Professional
>Firefighters and Emergency Fire Control staff to protect the public of the UK
>in the
>event of an imminent Fire Service strike.
>FBU General Secretary, Andy Gilchrist said: "It is unbelievable that this
>government
>can treat the public of this country with such contempt. They are moving 3,000
>troops
>from life saving duties in the UK to killing duties in Iraq. I understand
>their plans are
>to replace these 3,000 troops with new untrained troops for Green Goddess
>duties;
>this will not only put the lives of the public at risk, but also the lives of
>the untrained
>soldiers. I would urge our national employers' and the government to resolve
>the
>national Fire Service dispute forthwith by paying our members' the correct
>rate for
>the job, which is £30,000. There will then be no need to put any lives in the
>United
>Kingdom at risk." '
>
>............
>
>Have a good weekend.
>
>Martyn
>
>Martyn Lowe
>
>September 27th 2002
>
>P.S.
>
>Sleep well - We are in safe hands !!!!!!!!!!!!!


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu